Past mechanical coin selecting apparatuses include various types. For example, there is a selecting apparatus which is elucidated on the bulletin of Japanese Patent Publication 63-29308 (or Japanese Patent Application 54-B-0356 which is a priority document of U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,480) of the present assignee.
This coin selecting apparatus is shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, and FIG. 13. This apparatus is provided with a coin throw in mouth or deposit opening 2 and a reject mouth 4 at the top and bottom of a rectangular metal front plate 1. A cancel lever 3 is provided at the middle position between these. On the reverse side of this front plate 1, as shown in FIG. 11, the front-edge of a base plate 6, which is a die casted as an approximately rectangular element, metal is fixed.
On the upper edge of this base plate 6, the upper edge of a door plate 7, which is a die casted small rectangle metal, is pinched and connected by a hinge 14 which has elasticity. Inside these, a diagonal passage 25, for the coin selecting is formed as shown in FIG. 13. The trailing and lower edges of door plate 7 are surrounded by a chute cover plate 8 which is a die casted laterally T-shaped metal part as shown in FIG. 12.
The front-end of this chute cover plate 8 is fixed on the front plate 1 by means of screws 18 and nuts 19. Then, the trailing edge thereof is connected by holes 15 in the ring parts and the projections 16 of base plate 6. The side wall portion 9 in FIG. 12 functions as a chute plate for guiding an accepted coin. The diagonal passage 25 for selecting the coin communicates with the deposit opening 2 at the entrance side of the upper right as shown in FIG. 13. The passage 25 communicates with the reject mouth 4 through the cancel chute or rejection chute 27 at the lower portion thereof. Also, the passage 25 communicates with an accommodating chute 26 to take in a desired authentic coin at the outlet side of the lower left thereof.
Upwardly in the diagonal passage 25, an approximately V-shaped cradle 40 is pivoted at 41 intervening between parts of the door plate, as shown in FIG. 12. The cradle 40 has two engagement strips 42 and 43 which are spaced away a slightly small distance than the diameter of selected authentic coin.
The engagement strips 42 and 43 pierce through arc holes 44 and 45 of the door plate 7 freely and project into the passage 25 inside. A small column form 46 in the drawing is a weight for the balance.
Symbol 35 near the cradle 40 in FIG. 13 is a stick-shaped magnet and is installed on the door plate 7 as shown in FIG. 12. The magnet 35 is the member to absorb and to remove a scrap of iron, a suspected iron coin and so on. Symbol 57 at the center of FIG. 13 is an inclined rail to rotate a coin, and is formed on the passage 25 side of base plate 6. On the lower portion of the inclined rail 57, the slit 66 for checking the coin thickness is formed (see FIG. 13).
The width of slit 66 is altered by the free adjustment of the screw 67, free in screwing in and out of the pierced through door plate 7 which is shown at the center of FIG. 12. At the center of the passage 25 in FIG. 13, a magnet 50 for checking material is disposed. The magnet 50 is arranged by the base plate b and holding plate 53 as shown in FIG. 11.
The operation of this device is summarized and explained based on FIG. 13.
FIG. 13 shows the checking course of a desired authentic coin A which falls to the accommodating chute 26 for the acceptance at the lower left thereof. Also, FIG. 13 shows the checking course of a suspected coin B which is returned to the reject mouth 4, falling to the rejection chute 27 at the lower right thereof.
First, the coin diameter and thickness are checked at the deposit opening 2.
When either of these is too large, the coin is not inserted in the throw into mouth or deposit opening 2 and is excluded as a suspected coin B1.
The coin A1 which passed the mouth 2 is guided to the cradle 40 by the guide fragment or portion 99 which was formed on the side of passage 25 at the upper portion of base plate 6. A guided coin is held between one pair of engagement strips 42 and 43 like a coin A2. At this time, a small diameter resemblance coin B passes the cradle 40 and falls to the rejection chute 27, as shown at an arrow B2.
Symbol 89 in the drawing is a slope surface for suspected coins B which is formed on the side of passage 25 at the lower portion of base plate 6. In the same way, symbol 88 is a prevention wall which also is a bottom of the slope surface 89. These prevent invasive actions such as wire insertion, a coin throwing, and so on, from the reject mouth 4.
Symbol 10 at the lower portion of FIG. 12 is the cover part for the slope surface 89 and rejection chute 27. This cover part 10 is formed on the central end part of laterally T-shaped chute cover plate 8.
The suspected iron coin B which adhered to the magnet 35 falls with the open and close of door plate 7 by the operation of cancel lever 3.
The suspected coin B to have fallen is, as shown at the arrow B2 in FIG. 13, returned to the rejection chute 27. The coin which was rotated to the direction of arrow A3 by the cradle 40 rolls out from the cradle 40 and passes through the inclined rail 57, as shown at the arrow A4.
The coin then receives a thickness checking by the slit 66. A thin suspected coin B is rejected--sent to the rejection chute 27 as shown at the arrow B3.
Also, the coin is under powerful magnetic force by the magnet 50 when moving, rotatably on the inclined rail 57. The suspected coin B which was influenced by the magnetism can not ride over the nail 79 for checking notches and the coin separating portion 74 due to its speed being braked by the magnetic fields effect. Therefore, it is returned to the rejection chute 27 as shown at the arrow B4.
Further, the nail 79 for checking notches and the coin separating portion 74 are formed by the bottom tip of pendulum lever 71. These swing-freely and extend through the arc hole 75 and protruded into the passage 25. Also, the upper end of the pendulum lever 71 is pivoted at 72 on the base plate 6 and the weight 73 is fixed on the bottom tip thereof. Moreover, the screw 76 is freely screwed and extends through at the base end of separating portion 74. This screw 76 is a member for adjusting the position of separating portion 74 by the movement thereof.
Thus, the desired authentic coin A, which is not influenced by the magnetism, rides over the nail 79 for the notches checking and the coin separating portion 74 without the speed being braked. That is, it moves rotatably from the arrow AS to the arrow A6, the coin A passes through the accommodating chute 26 for accepting the authentic coin. Then, the coin A is stored in the safety box which is omitted in the illustration. The operation arm 82 of detection switch 80 which is shown in FIG. 11 is operated.
Also, symbol 90 at the lower portion in FIG. 13 is the perpendicular wall which forms the rejection chute 27 and the wall 90. This is molded to the prevention wall 88 of base plate 6. For example, when the coin hits into the reject mouth 4, the wall 90 is prevents it from going into the accommodating chute 26, passing the rejection chute 27.
The side plates 6, 7 and 8 are provided at the upper edge portions thereof with grooves 20, 21 and 22 formed on the outside surfaces for engaging the edges of a slit in the hinge 14. The blocker 30 includes a movable armature 32. The blocker arm 33 is usually urged into a blocking position by means of a spring so as to extend the free end thereof into the coin sorting passage 25 through a hole 34 in the stationary side plate 6. A keeper 55 opposing the magnet 50 is positioned within an opening 54 formed in the movable side plate 7 and fixed thereto by means of screws 56.
A coin deflector 70 is deposed in the coin package for effecting the separation of acceptable coins from non-acceptable coins. The pendulum lever 71 is provided with a thin leaf spring 78. An outlet 81 is at the lower end of the coin accommodating chute 26. A weight 87 is provided which acts with blocking lever 83. An oblique sliding surface 89 is provided at the upper side of the stopping wall.
Further, the slant elongated member which is at the left portion in FIG. 11 is an arm 33 of blocker 30. In case of use prohibition or the trouble on the vending machine and the game machine and so on, this member prevents the coin's being inserted from the deposit opening 2. During normal use, the electromagnet 31 is turned on and the tip of arm 33 is withdrawn from the passage 25. Therefore, the coin being deposited in the deposit opening 2 is possible.
The axis 91 of cancel lever 3 in FIG. 10 is provided rotatably extending through the front plate 1 as shown in FIG. 11. The lever axis 91 is rotatably held in the bearings 92 and 92 which are formed on the base plate 6. The cam 93 which is an approximately 1/4 disk shape is fixed on the axis 91 and moves together with the cancel lever 3. Symbol 95 nearby is the projection with a reversed triangle form. The projection 95 is connected to the cam 93 which is formed on the lower portion of the door plate 7. The cam 93 has a driving face 94. The projection 95 has a driving face 96.
Therefore, the cam 93 is rotated when the cancel lever 3 is rotated, and intervenes in the projection 95, the door plate 7 is opened, resisting the elasticity of hinge 14. As the result, with the magnet 35 and so on, the coin which was stopped within the passage 2 falls.
The slightly slender member 83 at the left in FIG. 12 is a lever for string prevention. The neighborhood of upper end of lever 83 pivoted freely swinging at 84 on the chute cover plate 8 and the bottom tip 85 thereof is within the accommodating chute 26. Generally, the bottom tip 85 of lever 83 is within the coin accommodating chute 26 and is hit outside by the coin which falls. However, a coin which is hung by a thread is prevented from being drawn up. In this way, it is prevented that the detection switch 80 is improperly operated.